Hōjō (北条, ほうじょう, "Assistance") was a school friend of Kagome Higurashi who had a crush on her and constantly attempted to go on dates with her, though Kagome usually forgot about them due to her frequent trips to the feudal era. Hōjō was one of Kagome's top three romantic interests, although he was the only love rival of Inuyasha who the hanyō never met, as he had only limited contact with Kagome's friends in the modern era. Hōjō was a good student and very popular; as such, Kagome's close friends (Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi) constantly tried to set her up with him, and considered him superior to Inuyasha, who they believed is merely a delinquent, due to a misunderstanding of what little Kagome told them. Hōjō was constantly giving Kagome medicinal items to help her with her fictitious chronic illnesses, having been taken in by Kagome's grandfather's make-believe cover stories for her frequent absences at schools. His interest in Kagome and his health-conscious lifestyle were two personality traits with which he had in common with his feudal ancestor, Akitoki Hōjō.
History
Hōjō was a classmate of Kagome's who was very popular at school. Under the pretense that Kagome suffered from an incredibly diverse range of chronic illness, due to the excuses Kagome's grandfather told in order to explain Kagome's absences from school, Hōjō took it upon himself to give Kagome remedies to alleviate her pains. He did this also as a means of striking conversation or inviting her on dates, though Hōjō was often ignored or avoided by Kagome who does not want to reject Hōjō outright for fear of hurting his feelings. Sometimes Kagome's grandfather used the gifts from Hōjō for himself.
When Hōjō shared his family tree, he and Kagome and her friends notices that one of Hōjō's ancestor's (Akitoki Hōjō) was married to a woman named "Kagome". Due to this, Kagome's growing uncertainty over whether she and Inuyasha, as a human and a half-demon, could truly be happy is compounded, as she wondered if Hōjō's family tree was a sign she should give up on Inuyasha and marry Hōjō instead. This was one of the few times that Kagome's took Hōjō's romantic interest in her seriously.
Hōjō and many of Kagome's friends also seemed to take Hōjō's family tree as a positive sign for the two's relationship. Later, when Kagome encounters Akitoki Hōjō, Hōjō's aforementioned ancestor, for a second time in the feudal era, she begins to wonder if maybe the "Kagome" on Hōjō's family tree is actually herself, who perhaps remained behind in the feudal era with Akitoki. However, after initial uncertainty, she becomes on good terms with Inuyasha again and dispels any lingering uncertainties over her relationship with him. Unbeknownst to her, Akitoki Hōjō, having accepted that his love for Kagome is unrequited, later meets his future wife and convinces her to change her name to Kagome, since her real name reminds him of a defeated enemy.
As for Hōjō himself, his advances continued to be subtly dodged by Kagome, and even after Kagome spent three years away from the feudal era in high school, Hōjō's attempts to go out with Kagome did not seem to have succeeded, likely due to Kagome's lingering feelings for Inuyasha, from whom she was temporarily separated. After the portal to the past was briefly restored, Kagome returned to the feudal era for good, and Hōjō moved on and dated one of his college classmates.
Personality
In many ways, Hōjō is the antithesis to Inuyasha. He is kind and thoughtful, and is a serious, well-mannered student, contrasting with Inuyasha's rough, unsophisticated and often brutish manner. Because of this, Kagome's friends actively advocate for Hōjō in place of Inuyasha, whom they falsely believe is a delinquent, unaware of the half-demon's true hanyō nature. However, their attempts are in vain, as Kagome remains unswervingly devoted to Inuyasha, despite often complaining to her friends of his possessive and jealous behavior, leaving them very confused. In addition, because Kagome sometimes lets slip that Inuyasha often gets in fights, behavior that is common in the turbulent feudal era, in the context of the modern era, this also gives the unintended and false impression that Inuyasha is some kind of street hoodlum. Because of these reasons, Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi believe that the handsome but mild and more academic Hōjō is a better match for Kagome as a prospective boyfriend.
Hōjō's primary flaw is his naivety. He persists in asking Kagome out on dates, and is completely oblivious to the fact that Kagome is almost entirely uninterested in him, except as a friend. But because Kagome is too subtle about rejecting him, even sometimes agreeing to go out on dates (though she almost always forgets about them), his kind and honest nature prevents him from realizing that he is actually being rejected. Kagome's behavior bewilders and frustrates her friends, who act as Hōjō's secret cheering squad. Also, Hōjō is completely unaware that Kagome's frequent illnesses are hoaxes to explain away her constant absences from school, and thus unnecessarily spends money on remedies that will go unused by Kagome; although they are often happily used by Kagome's grandfather, who is in fact the creative author (with occasional help from Kagome's brother, Sōta) of all of Kagome's make-believe and sometimes downright ludicrous illnesses. Kagome often feels guilty over Hōjō's generosity, but is unable to tell him she is, in truth, going back in time to the feudal era.
Hōjō is also blissfully unaware that his biggest rival for Kagome's love is Inuyasha; in fact he doesn't seem to realize that Kagome is interested in someone else at all, despite it being apparent to Kagome's friends. Considering that she avoids or ignores him, exhibits bizarre behavior that includes, but is not limited to, her strange "illnesses" that force her to miss school, and her poor grades due to those absences, it is unclear why Hōjō is interested in Kagome at all, but his naive persistence seems evidence enough that he has a pure heart. He does, however, get along well with Kagome's friends, who frequently hang out with Hōjō to compensate for Kagome constantly forgetting her dates with him.
Trivia
- "Hōjō" is his surname, and he is exclusively referred to by this name throughout the entire series. As it is common for people in Japan who are not good friends to refer each other by their family names when talking. It is not unusual for only his surname to be mentioned. His given name is never revealed, unlike his ancestor, Akitoki Hōjō, who is likely given a first name in order to differentiate him from the Hōjō of Kagome's time.
- Unlike Hōjō, who is a side character that only appears during the brief scenes that Kagome spends time in her own era, his ancestor Akitoki receives far more substantive screen time and character development than his modern counterpart, although Akitoki is not an original character from the manga. He appears not only in the second movie, InuYasha the Movie: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass, but also episodes 137 - 140. He is the only character to simultaneously be both anime and movie-exclusive.
- At Kagome's school, Hōjō is in class B.
Media appearances
Manga
- Chapter 23 (First appearance)
- Chapter 24
- Chapter 27
- Chapter 35
- Chapter 65
- Chapter 67
- Chapter 69
- Chapter 139
- Chapter 140
- Chapter 530
- Chapter 554 (Illusion)
Anime
- Episode 11 (First appearance)
- Episode 12
- Episode 13
- Episode 20
- Episode 21
- Episode 38
- InuYasha the Movie: Affections Touching Across Time (Credits only)
- Episode 62 (Illusion)
- Episode 82
- Episode 89
- InuYasha the Movie: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass
- Episode 127
- Episode 128
- Episode 129 (Appears in a flashback)
- Episode 137
- Episode 138 (Appears in a flashback)
- Episode 140
- Episode 161
- Episode 167 (Credits only)
- Episode 21 (FA)
- Episode 25 (FA) (Illusion)
- Episode 26 (FA)